The singer’s fans once found it easy to dress up — or rather, down – as their favorite star. A vest over a T-shirt, petticoats, a skirt and some fish-net leggings did the trick. Must-have accessories included rhinestone and leather bracelets, possibly something with
small spikes.

And voila: the trash look.

“She used to be ugly as sin,’ said Karen Davis, 26, a Madonna fan and clothing store manager in North Dallas. “A real skank monster.’

But a new Madonna stepped out of a private 727 at Dallas Love Field on Saturday. Her hair was short and bleached blond, and she wore a stylish beige bouffant dress with a black belt and black flats.

The Material Girl, who will perform at Texas Stadium Sunday night as part of a 16-city tour, has upgraded herself from trash to class.

That spells trouble for legions of teen impersonators — or Wanna Be’s, as they have been dubbed — out-priced by the new style.

“I wouldn’t mind dressing like the new Madonna, but I don’t have thousands of dollars to do it,’ said 15-year-old Aimee Dixon of Fort Worth as she joined nearly 75 other fans, drawn to the airport by a radio announcement.

Miss Dixon dressed in the old look, with a black corset and skirt, black leggings, black tie-up high heels and five rhinestone bracelets on her right arm.

Cost of the outfit: $75.

Instead of a complete make-over, Miss Dixon settled for a hairstyle like Madonna’s latest — cut short and moussed.

“It’s really all I can afford to do,’ she lamented.

New look or old, Madonna’s fans are loyal. Some waited two hours in 92-degree heat to see her blow a hurried kiss seconds before being whisked away from the jet in a white limousine.

D. J. Castellon, 32, made a pilgrimage from Fort Worth with his wife and son.

“Hey, we missed the Beatles coming to Love Field in ’64,’ he said. ”We thought we’d better be here for Madonna in ’87.’

While fans waited, merchants at the Valley View mall in North Dallas pondered the Madonna style.

“I don’t know if people will copy it — or even if they can,’ said Taili Ann Song, 19, a women’s clothing salesclerk at Bloomingdale’s.

Ms. Song said it’s still possible to find Madonna clothes on the racks these days, mostly strapless tops and dresses that are thickly embroidered. But the clothes carry prices as high as the singer’s pop-chart ratings with her latest hit album, True Blue.

But clothes are only part of the look. The rest is cosmetics. At the makeup counter at Bloomingdale’s, Susan Jones, 21, a salesclerk, said the new look is more “polished and put together.’

“She’s got more of a ’40s movie-actress look,’ Ms. Jones said. ”She’s got that porcelain complexion that kind of reminds of a Marilyn Monroe or a Marlene Dietrich.’

But the look is not for everyone.

“Somebody famous like her, she could pull it off,’ said Ms. Jones. ”But for someone from regular society, they would have a harder time. Imagine their bosses saying, “OK, sure, you’re here for work.’ ‘

So what will Wanna Be’s wear to the concert Sunday night?

“That’s the question we’ve all been pondering,’ Ms. Davis said.

Ms. Davis, who manages Accessory Lady at Valley View Center, is not a Madonna look-alike. But she does admit to having all of Madonna’s cassettes — and two tickets for Sunday’s concert. What will she wear?

“Minimal,’ she said.

Is that a concession to the Wanna Be fashion impulse?

“No, to the weather,’ she said. “It’s going to be hot there.’

The story makes no mention of Madonna's entourage, but isn't that Debi Mazar behind the star? If you can confirm, let me know!

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